Answering this question becomes harder and harder every day, as the number of successful individuals who have and have not received a formal education continues to rise. Whilst many people are strict advocates of going to university in order to learn the ins and outs of web development, others value self-taught skills and techniques as a higher level of learning. So, which of these avenues is the best route for you?

Why do people go to school?

Many young people will head off to university before attempting to find a job in the web development industry because they feel that that is what is expected of them. Others decide to go to school because they wish to study another course alongside development (such as business or arts). And others still will apply to university because they have been led to believe that this is the only way they will get the sort of job they want. There are a number of benefits associated with studying at university, however, as you will receive a very detailed knowledge of many relevant programs and languages, including: coding, HTML, CSS, PHP, and RSS feeds.

Why don’t people go to school?

After finishing high school, many other young people will also decide not to attend university to study web development because they’ve already studied something and do not wish to go back. Others decide that university is not for them because they were never any good at school. And others still will avoid university because they simply cannot afford the exorbitant fees. These people take more a self-taught route, which involves a lot of practice with the different programs used in development and the viewing of hundreds of online tutorials when they come across something they do not understand.

Which one is better?

At the end of the day, each of these different routes into the web development industry has their advantages and disadvantages. Which one is best for you will depend entirely on your situation. Many people struggle to find a job without a formal qualification in the form of a degree or a doctorate, whereas others have no problem in getting out-sourced work from larger companies that gives them the experience they need to get full time work. You may even begin a degree in web development then decide that it’s not the route for you – this is fine, and your future as a developer is certainly not over.

Designing and development are not the same thing. Both are perhaps important in their own unique ways but are like chalk and cheese. While the former is all about the visual part of a website, the latter is more about its technical merit. So, when you hire designers, it means you want to boost aesthetic charms of the site. But when you hire developers, it means you want to get a website which is rich in features and which is technically adept on all fronts. Although designing and development have some marked differences they still overlap at various junctures.

You should know that, web development is about giving shape to designing ideas through the use of right platform, codes and programing languages. It’s about making a website capable of reaching the internet and catching the attention of the target audience there. Developers are expert at adding features and functionalities to a website and boosting its capabilities. They have a deep knowledge of different programs and languages; they do write codes so that websites can get a variety of different features and functionalities to meet specific business requirements. From websites to portals to apps to customized solutions, developers can develop all and help businesses realize their goals in an effortless manner.

Hiring developers is the first step for any business towards going online and gaining benefits there. Going online is easy as anyone with a website can do the same; what however is not that easy is to have a right kind of website to help meet all the goals in the desired manner. A business website has to have all those standard features and functionalities that help users or customers on the internet. It has to look and feel simple, and it should never trouble users when they access it. Navigation should be easy and product or service listing should be neat and clean.

More so, a good business website is one that gives browsing convenience where it should look and feel consistent across all browsers. It also has to be mobile-friendly so that users can access every element while on-the-go and meet their purpose with ease. It should not have broken links neither should it take more than 2 or 3 seconds to load. All its elements, be it images, videos, infographics, links, products or services, must be optimized so that users on the internet can find them in an easy manner. Above all, it should have all the contact information and business details published at right places.

More so, its products and services should be categorized in a proper manner so that buyers can access them easily. Likewise, your website should give extra focus to security to win the trust of the target audience as a lot of sensitive data of buyers will be involved. That’s why having an SSL certificate, encrypted communications and a short transaction process becomes important. Given so much sensitivity attached with a website, it makes a great sense to hire only an expert development company to let your business grow in the desired manner.

The person you choose as a web developer is very important for any business. Whether the website will be a tool that is highly functional or a basic presence, investments need to be made. The web developer will have the role of capturing the brand of the company while building the face of the business online. The right website developer can be relied upon over the long-term for future expansion, service support as well as delivery of various services such as email marketing, social media and search engine optimization. The factors to consider when hiring a web development company include:

Experience

You can begin searching for a web developer in the local market and the international platform as a start. It is advisable to find a company that has some reputation in the market place in addition to having experience. Consider the companies that are using platforms such as Joomla, WordPress, PHP, Net, etc. in determining your requirements and choose the best service provider.

Location

It is important to consider choosing a firm that you may engage face to face when the need arises. As a result, the company should be located near. However, experience is the most important consideration. Therefore, you can afford to work with a company that is many miles away as long as they are accessible through email and telephone. This allows you to select top reputed companies available in the market.

Services

It is important to determine the kind of services a web developer is providing. Considering you need a website that is properly designed, you will need to hire the services of an expert designer. A professional web development team features a professional testing team that has the ability of designing a website that can receive the necessary exposure. Consider the company’s portfolio to determine whether their service meets your expectation.

Listening & Interpretation skills

It is important to hire a company that asks questions to determine what you want. The right company will seek to develop your website according to your goals by taking into consideration your expectations. It is important to hire a company that is responsive. This is extremely important during the website development process and at the time the site is being launched. Determine how quickly the company responded to your initial enquiry; did they return the call in a timely manner? A company that is not responsive prior to getting the business is unlikely to be more responsive once they get the business.